Unions Spending Big To Defeat ‘Ban BART Strike’ Politician In State Assembly Run

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ORINDA (CBS 5) – Last year’s Bay Area Rapid Transit strikes are a central issue in one Bay Area election this year, as State Assembly candidate Steve Glazer faces an unlikely opponent for democrats, organized labor.

So far, over a million dollars has been raised for this one assembly race, that’s more than five times what candidates in other races have raised. At last count, over 50 unions had given a total of more than $170,000 to Glaziers main opponent, fellow Democrat Tim Sbranti.

There is also an independent fund to get Sabranti elected. It has nearly a million all by itself, collected from unions like the SEIU and AFCSME.

For his part, Glazer is wearing his opposition to BART strikes like a badge of honor. Hiscampaign flyers actually highlight his “Ban BART Strikes” campaign. Glazer has raised about $300,000 for his assembly run from individuals, and another $200,000 from business interests. So far he has no independent backing.

Sbranti is the former head of a political action committee for the California Teacher’s Association, so that’s another reason he is favored by unions. What’s left is a campaign between a business-friendly Democrat and a labor-backed democrat that could have long-term implications for the future direction of the party in California.